Can a herpes outbreak last for 4 months or longer?

Doc,

I had unprotected sex with a girl roughly 10 months ago.  Roughly a day or 2 I noticed a tiny (almost unnoticeable) bumps on my penis.  A few days later it was gone.  

Fastforward 6 months... I haven't had unprotected sex since this occasion 10 months ago.  4 months ago I get red bumps on the shaft of my penis (they look like tiny small pimples)  They have never been open sores and never been painful.  I thought that this was some rash and just thought it would go away.  4 months later, I still have the same rash which seems to get worse as time goes on.  There are more bumps now and have grown slightly larger and seems that I now have a few bumps on my testicles.  

I'm not sure if it is herpes because everything I reads says that herpes outbreaks last only a few days to a few weeks at max.

I occasionally get some tingling and itching in this area, but nothing bad or unbearable.  I have seen no signs of this rash going away.

My only other dermatological problem is athletes foot.  I have had athletes foot for probably the last 6 months.  It won't seem to go away even after using several tubes of lamisil.  I only tell you this to see if there is any correlation with my rash on my penis.  

Is this herpes or could this be some other skin infection.  What do you think it is and what type of doctor should I go and see?

[Alan Rockoff, MD]

No, it doesn't sound anything like herpes.  It's most likely minor irritation that has nothing to do with your sexual encounter.  My advice is to try some over-the-counter 1% hydrocortisone twice a day for a week, to leave the skin otherwise alone, and to show it to a doctor if the bumps persist, just so you'll know for sure what it is and what to do about ti.

Best.

Dr. Rockoff